After securing their Premier League status for another season with a hat-trick of Goodison Park wins, Everton extended their unbeaten run to four matches with a 1-1 draw at relegation-threatened Luton Town.
The Blues went ahead through a Dominic Calvert-Lewin penalty but were pegged back by Elijah Adebayo’s equaliser and despite a spirited effort from the hosts in the second half, Sean Dyche’s side held on.
And here is how we rated the Everton players’ performances…
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Jordan Pickford 8
Made a crucial save deep into stoppage time to deny Luton substitute Luke Berry while also making a smart stop to deny former Everton midfielder Ross Barkley late on, he will have been disappointed to let Adebayo’s low shot beat him – even if there was a lot of pace in it – but otherwise looked solid.
Ben Godfrey 7
Headed Carlton Morris’ effort off the line in first-half stoppage time and had his hands full up against Tahith Chong before switching sides when Seamus Coleman came on, he worked hard and tried to offer an outlet when Everton went forward.
Ashley Young 5
Targeted by the home fans’ boo boys throughout given that he started his career at local rivals Watford, he had looked comfortable for the first half-hour but was emphatically outmuscled by Adebayo at the back post for the equaliser.
James Tarkowski 7
This was the kind of physical battle that the Everton captain relishes and he was an aerially dominant figure in both boxes.
Jarrad Branthwaite 8
Made a crucial last second clearance to deny Andros Townsend, he just couldn’t get to Adebayo in time to block his shot for the leveller, he looked assured against Morris and won Everton’s penalty when he was wrestled to the ground by Teden Mengi.
Idrissa Gueye 7
Not close to the kind of stellar levels we saw from him in that hat-trick of Goodison wins, but he kept things ticking over, driving forwards and distributing well among the chaos of Luton’s high-tempo approach.
James Garner 6
Tried to remain a creative force after he picked up an early booking for bringing down Chong but despite keeping his head as he walked a disciplinary tightrope, Dyche removed him from the action early in the second half.
Abdoulaye Doucoure 6
Covered lots of ground as always and offered an outlet to support his striker but was still labouring to recapture his early season form and got hooked 10 minutes into the second half.
Jack Harrison 7
Almost put Everton back in front with a deflected effort after he gave the ball away cheaply in the build-up to Luton’s equaliser but put in a real shift down the right, also making a crucial covering tackle on Alfie Doughty and an important clearance in stoppage time.
Dwight McNeil 7
Looked a threat from his deliveries with one almost forcing Mengi to direct the ball into his own net and later nodding towards Calvert-Lewin for his second half headed chance, even if he was increasingly forced into more defensive duties as Luton pushed forward after the break.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin 7
Held his nerve from the penalty spot again to confidently smash the ball down the middle as Thomas Kaminski went to his right, he worked hard on his return in a physical tussle against Luton’s defenders and was only denied a second goal with a close range header by Kaminski’s acrobatic save.
SUBS
Andre Gomes (on 55 for Doucoure) 6
Looked off the pace after coming on and gave the ball away cheaply a couple of times.
Amadou Onana (on 55 for Garner) 7
Worked hard and made some crucial defensive headers.
Seamus Coleman (on 68 for Young) 7
Solid showing in the final quarter.
Beto (on 79 for Calvert-Lewin)
Put himself about.
Youssef Chermiti (on 79 for Gueye)
Held the ball up well.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
